A Guide to eBay For Beginners
Your first taster session on ebay Your first taster session on ebay By the end of this session you will be able to do the following:
Set up an eBay account
Place a bid
List your item
Give Feedback
Understand fees to private sellers
NOTE: You will need a debit/credit card to register with ebay and to set up a Paypal account. We do offer a separate Quick Guide for PayPal. You will also need an email address so ask a member of staff if you need additional help setting this up.
eBay for Beginners guide Updated June 2014
Staying secure online
You may feel apprehensive about giving your card details and personal information over the internet. This is understandable due to the increasing amount of stories in the media about identity theft, fraud and goods not arriving. But don’t let this put you off – as long as you take sensible precautions with your information you can stay safe and take advantage of the value and convenience of shopping online. You should:
Look for the padlock symbol at the bottom right of a page as you complete the checkout process. This means the site is securely encrypted. The website address will also start with https://. Don’t worry if you can’t see the padlock when you are browsing the website, but it should become secure as soon as you start to checkout and enter personal information.
Be aware that if you use a credit card, rather than a debit card, to pay for items over £100 then you get additional protection under the Consumer Credit Act. For example, if you order a sofa and it doesn’t get delivered you can claim back the amount you paid from your credit card provider.
Check your bank statement to see when your payment has left your account and contact your bank if you see anything you think shouldn’t be there.
Never tell anyone your debit/credit card PIN – even if they claim to be from your bank or the police.
Be aware of any privacy agreements when you checkout. Tick or un-tick any boxes that relate to sending you further marketing as appropriate.
PayPal provides an extra layer of security, because it doesn’t give your card information to the seller. It also offers Buyer Protection.
eBay for Beginners guide Updated June 2014
Using a computer in the library
You are allowed two one-hour sessions per day for free in any of Newcastle’s Branch libraries or one two-hour session in the City Library. You can pre-book a computer for a specific time or just turn up and you can login to a computer if there is one free. If you would like to book a computer please call 0191 277 4100 or book one on the computer booking stations in the library. You can always ask a member of staff if you need assistance. Two sessions can be booked up to a week in advance.
How to log on and get started
The number of minutes that are available on that particular computer are displayed on the screen and it will state in green writing ‘Available’. If it reads ‘Reserved’ in red, that means the computer has been booked by someone. If it is you that has booked the computer your ticket number will be displayed and you can log on.
1) In order to log on you need to press the CTRL-ALT-DEL keys on the keyboard. 2) On the next screen you type in your library ticket number in the login ID field (for example 12349876). You then type in your password in the password field. Your password is your library PIN. Single click on ‘OK’. 3) You will then be logged on to the computer. To access the Internet double click on the Internet Explorer icon as shown here.
4) Type http://www.ebay.co.uk/ in the space bar and this will take you to eBay home page 5) When you have finished using the computer don’t forget to log off by single clicking the Start button in the lower left corner and then single clicking on ‘Log off…’. Another box will appear, click on ‘OK’.
eBay for Beginners guide Updated June 2014
The main features of eBay Click here to go to sign in screen or to register. Once you are logged in your user name will be shown.
Use this box to type in search terms. Advanced Search can be performed by clicking the ‘Advanced’ link next to the search button.
Use these tabs to Browse categories and look at lists of items until you find something you're interested in, (as opposed to doing a keyword search).
eBay for Beginners guide Updated June 2014
Click ‘My eBay’ to show your buying and selling and account details. You need to be logged in to access this information.
Click ‘sell’ to start the selling process and list your item for sale. Also shows fees.
‘Help & Contact’ offers help by browsing categories such as Bidding & buying, Searching & researching, Payment & postage, Membership & account, Selling & seller fees and Feedback as well as ways to contact ebay.
Setting up an eBay account To register an eBay account click on “Register” at the top left (see previous page) and complete the form seen below. Once you have provided the relevant information click “Submit” at the bottom of the screen.
You will receive a confirmation email from ebay to your email address.
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Placing a Bid In order to search for something you wish to bid for type it into the search box at the top of the screen and click “Search”. The next screen you see will be the results of your search.
Switch between ‘All things’, ‘Auctions’ and ‘Buy It Now’
Buy It Now
Number of bids.
Time left until end of auction.
You can also buy items instantly if they have the ‘Buy It Now’ icon underneath the prize. To bid on an item click on its description. Enter your bid in the box and click ‘Place bid’. Your bid must be the same or higher than the number above the box.
Current winning or minimum bid. eBay for Beginners Updated – June 2014
Postage cost.
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Fees for Private Sellers General Fees When you sell on eBay, there are 3 types of fees: 1. Insertion fees: Paid whenever you list an item on eBay, even if it doesn't sell. Every month you can create 20 listings for free. After that they are £0.35 each. Listings in the Motors category or Classified Ads are different. You can add optional listing upgrades with various costs. Auction
Buy It Now
Upgrade 3 – 10 days
30 days
Gallery Plus Larger images in search results
£0.95
£0.95
£2.85
Subtitle
£0.35
£0.35
£1.05
£0.07
£0.07
£0.21
Add subtitles to your listings Listing designer Add a design theme to listings Listing in 2 categories
An extra insertion fee for the second category.
Item appears in 2 categories Scheduler Choose when listings go live
Free for 20 listings per month (excluding Motors and Classified Ads). After that, they're £0.06 each.
2. Adding a Buy It Now option to your auction-style listing
Add a Buy it now price
Buy it now price
Fee to add a Buy it now option
£0.99 - £4.99
£0.10
£5.00 - £14.99
£0.20
£15.00 - £24.99
£0.30
£25.00
£0.50
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3. Final value fees: when your item sells, you'll be charged a final value fee that's based on a percentage of the item's final selling price. You'll only pay this fee when your item sells. Your final value fee is 10% of your total transaction cost (including postage). Additional you’ll have to pay a PayPal Fee of 3.4% + 20p per transaction if your payment is handled via PayPal.
Fees for listings in Motors and Classified Ads For listings in Parts & Accessories, our standard fees apply. If you list in the Motors subcategories of Cars, Commercial Vehicles, Motorcycles & Scooters, Caravans and Classic cars these are your fees: Classified
Auction
Buy it now
Listing fees
Insertion fees
£14.99
£10.00
£10.00
Optional listing
Gallery plus
£2.99
Free
Free
upgrades
Subtitle
£0.50
£0.50
£0.50
Listing designer
Free
Free
Free
Scheduler
Free
Free
Free
Add Buy it now
-
£2.99
-
Reserve price
-
£7.99
-
Final value fee
-
1% final selling price (min £20
Final value fees
max £35) List a Classified Ad if you'd like the buyer to contact you about your listing so you can handle the transaction personally. You'll pay insertion fees based on category and won't pay any final value fees.
Category
Insertion fee
Business, Office & Industrial
£9.99
Property
£35.00
Holidays & Travel
£15.00
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Fees for ending an auction early If you end an auction early and buyers have already placed bids, you may be charged a fee. This fee is the same as a final value fee, based on the item price when you ended the auction. You won't pay a fee for your first early ended auction with bids every calendar year, or if we have to end your auction.
Listing your item Click on ‘sell’ and select ‘sell an item’. The screen below will appear.
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You have two options, you can either make a quick sell or an advanced sell.. 1. Quick Sell Give a title for your listing and click ‘Star selling’, the screen below will appear.
Save to continue later on.
Descriptive Title, max 70 characters
Suggested categories or browse categories if none of them fit.
Add photos, make sure you have taken them or they are copyright free! 11 eBay for Beginners Updated – June 2014
Describe the item you wish to sell. You should include enough information to ensure buyers can find what they are looking for and what they are buying. The tips on the left side tell you the recommended information you should include!
Your auction style listing begins with starting price of your choice. Generally a lower starting price attracts more potential buyers. Add a fixed price for the Buy It Now option if you like
Choose how long you want your listing to appear on eBay. Generally, the longer a listing is active, the more likely you are to sell your item or receive a higher price.
Select the quoted postage or create your own postage option. It may be useful to check how much it will cost to post prior to listing.
ebay accepts payment via PayPal, to set up your PayPal account see our separate Quick Guide. You can add other payment options. 12 eBay for Beginners Updated – June 2014
2. Advanced Sell
Insert title of what you are selling to search for fitting categories.
Suggested categories or browse categories if none of them fit.
You can select more than one category to reach more buyers, but keep in mind that each category might cost you additional insertion fees. Click continue once you are done.
Add photos, make sure you have taken them or they are copyright free!
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Add details for your item, such as the condition, brand, model 13 etc.
Describe the item you wish to sell. You should include enough information to ensure buyers can find what they are looking for and what they are buying. You may want to include: Dimensions, colours and size Why you are selling it If there are any flaws (be honest!) HTLM if you know it to enhance the description
Your auction style listing begins with starting price of your choice. Generally a lower starting price attracts more potential buyers. Add a fixed price for the Buy It Now option if you like
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You can also donate your sale to a charity, anything between 10% and 100%. If you want to do so, click ‘Or select another charity’, choose the charity you want and then select the donation percentage.
eBay accepts payment via PayPal, to set up your PayPal account see our separate Quick Guide. You can add other payment options.
Select the quoted postage or create your own postage option. It may be useful to check how much it will cost to post prior to listing. You can exclude buyers in certain areas and add package details if you like.
Choose if you accept returns and if so under what conditions.
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Feedback Whenever you buy or sell something, you are asked to leave Feedback about the transaction that reflects your experience with the buyer or seller. At the same time, the person you bought from or sold to is asked to leave Feedback about you as well. Over time, you build up a Feedback Profile, or reputation, based on the comments and ratings left by other members. The Feedback Score is one of the most important pieces of a Feedback Profile. It’s the number in brackets next to a member’s user ID and it’s also located at the top of the member’s Feedback Profile.
Buyers can leave an overall rating (positive, neutral, or negative), a comment and detailed seller ratings. You can leave Feedback up to 60 days after a purchase. Here's how to leave Feedback: 1. Click My eBay at the top of any page. 2. Click the Account tab and then click the Feedback link on the left side 3. You'll see any items waiting for your Feedback.
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Jargon Buster The following is a list of commonly used terms related to using eBay that you may find useful:
Answer Centre
Auction-Style Listing (Online Auction Format) Best Offer
Bidder /Buyer
Buy It Now
The Answer Centre is a forum for eBay buyers and sellers to ask fellow members questions about buying and selling on eBay. You can also share tips and information that you feel will be useful to fellow members. Basic, most common way to sell an item on eBay. Format lets sellers list an item for sale, collect bids for fixed length of time and sell item to the highest bidder. Listing feature that lets buyer make an offer to a seller. Member who bids on an item on eBay. Each bid placed enters a buyer into a binding contract. This listing feature lets a buyer purchase an item immediately for a price the seller has set. Items with this feature will display the icon and the Buy It Now price in their listings.
Buyer protection
Ebay buyer protection helps if an item doesn’t arrive or doesn’t match its listing description
BNWT / BNWOT
Brand New With Tags / Brand New Without Tags
Category Listings
Completed Listings
Categories show how items are organised such as Clothes, Antiques, Books, Sporting Goods, etc. Browse categories and look at lists of items until you find something you're interested in, (as opposed to doing a keyword search). Sellers can choose which category ensures maximum exposure for listing an item. Search for items that have ended over the last 15 days. Useful to help sellers determine how to sell an item. For example, seller can view completed listings to decide what starting price to use in auction-style listing.
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Detailed Seller Ratings (DSRs)
Discussion Boards
Dispute or Resolution Centre
eBay Shops
Feedback
Feedback Profile
Feedback Star
Detailed seller ratings provide more complete picture of member’s performance as a seller. When buyers leave an overall Feedback rating for seller, they can also leave detailed seller ratings in four areas: accuracy of item description, communication, postage time and postage and packing charges. Rating system based on 1-5 star scale. 5 stars is highest and 1 star the lowest. Special pages where members can post messages to the eBay Community about various topics. Anyone can ask questions, learn valuable tips, share experiences, and connect with other eBay users. This helps buyers and sellers resolve problems related to their transactions. Accessible from My eBay and from the “Resolution Centre” link at the bottom of most pages, Resolution Centre is used when buyer doesn’t receive item or item differs from its description, when a seller doesn’t receive payment for item, or when seller wants to cancel transaction. Special pages on eBay featuring all the items offered by an individual Shop seller. Buyers can shop at eBay Shops to find unique items they can buy right away. Sellers can use eBay Shop to maximise their business through customised displays, categories and promotion
Feedback represents reputation as an eBay member. It’s made up of comments and ratings left by other members you’ve bought from and sold to. Feedback from buyers can consist of a positive, negative or neutral rating, and a short comment. Feedback from sellers can consist of a positive rating and a short comment. These ratings are used to determine Feedback scores.
Page showing member's Feedback information, including ratings and comments from others who have bought or sold with that person before. Colour of the star Indicates that member has achieved a certain Feedback Score. For example, yellow star means member has achieved 10 – 49 Feedback points.
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Fees: Final Value Fee
Fees: Insertion Fee
FAQ
Paypal
Member
My eBay
NR
New Listing Icon
New Member/User Icon
Privacy Policy
Fee eBay charges to a seller when a listing ends. This fee is based on the "final value" of the item, which is the closing bid or sale price. Final Value Fee is not charged if there are no bids on an item or the high bid did not meet the reserve price the seller set Fee eBay charges to a seller for listing an item. This fee varies by the type of listing and is non-refundable. List of frequently asked questions & answers Fast, easy, secure online payment method When buyers use PayPal, payment is sent from credit card or bank account without giving any account information directly to seller so account information is kept private and safe. All the buyer needs is the seller's email address. Fees apply Buyer or seller who has created a profile with eBay. A member has a User ID and password for accessing features, such as My eBay. As a member, you can track items you are buying or selling, review or leave feedback, or update and change your personal information and notifications. Central place on eBay where all activities including buying, selling, feedback and general account preferences are displayed. To get to My eBay, sign in and click the "My eBay" link at the top of any eBay page. No reserve price for an auction-style listing Indicates that the item has been listed within the last 24 hours. If you search or browse for the same kind of items repeatedly, this icon helps you spot items you may not have seen before. Indicates that the buyer or seller has been a registered member of eBay for 30 days or less. New members join the eBay Community everyday. Knowing that a person has recently joined can be helpful in various situations. For example, when dealing with a new member, an experienced seller will know to be more patient as the new member learns how eBay works. eBay's policy on how we use and protect your personal 19
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information. For more information
Relisting
Sell Similar Item
Seller's Return Policy
Shill Bidding
Sniping
Starting Price
Listing an item for sale again after it did not sell the first time. If a seller relists an item and it sells the second time, we automatically refund the relisting fee (some restrictions apply). Allows sellers to list new items based on the information they've previously entered for another item. When seller chooses this option, eBay automatically transfers information from old listing into new one for easy editing. Sellers save time by not having to enter same information again A feature in the Sell Your Item form that enables sellers to specify their product's return policy. This feature includes a set of pre-formatted policy from which the seller can choose. Once the seller chooses a Return Policy, it appears in a corresponding section of the View Item page The deliberate placing of bids to artificially raise the price of an item. This practice undermines trust in the eBay Community and is not permitted. To avoid the appearance of involvement in this activity, family members, friends, and individuals living together, working together, or sharing a computer should not bid on each other's items. Placing a bid in the closing minutes or seconds of an auction-style listing. Any bid, placed before the listing ends, is allowed on eBay. To protect yourself from being outbid at the last moment, enter the maximum amount you're willing to pay for an item up front, and eBay will bid automatically for you, making sure you're the high bidder until your maximum is reached. This system is sometimes called proxy bidding. Price at which a seller wants bidding for an item to begin in an auction-style listing. The starting price may not necessarily be the lowest price they're willing to sell their item for. Sellers can also set a secret reserve price that represents the true minimum. If the high bid does not meet the reserve price, then the seller is under no obligation to sell the item to the bidder. This feature enables sellers to set a lower starting price to stimulate bidding among buyers. 20
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Unpaid Item Process
User Agreement
User ID
Dispute resolution process used by sellers when they have not been paid for their item. Sellers who are not satisfied with the resolution can file for a Final Value Fee credit from eBay. Terms under which eBay offers registered members access to eBay services. All registered members must agree to these terms before they can bid on or list items, or use any other eBay service. Unique name you choose to register with and use to identify yourself on eBay. As you buy and sell on eBay, your user ID may become an important part of your reputation on eBay. You'll want other members to associate your user ID with a reliable, positive buying or selling experience.
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Online Safety Scorecard Questions
Things to look for…
Is the site written by a respected and reliable source?
.gov.uk Government .ac.uk - University or academic institution .nhs.uk - NHS .org.uk – Charity or non-profit organisation .com – Commercial .co.uk Commercial
Are the pages dated? Is the information up-to-date?
Are all the links working correctly?
Does the site have sufficient privacy protection?
This should include the dates the site/page was created and or last reviewed
Broken links reflect a poorly maintained site
Does the site require you to register, enter your email address, or answer personal questions before you can access information?
Where to look… In the adress bar where the URL stands
.com .co.uk
If personal information is collected, does the site have a privacy policy that clearly states how the information will be used?
Store
Score 1
Score 0
Usually on the bottom of the page.
When you click on a link you are redirected to a “404 Error Page – Page cannot be found” Does not apply to online shopping sites or social media sites.
Personal information may be sold or shared
Is there a privacy policy?
Scoring criteria .gov.uk .ac.uk .nhs.uk .org.uk
Usually in the link collection on the bottom of the page. Links may be called ‘Policies’, ‘Privacy Policy’, ‘About’ etc.
Pages dated
Score 1
Pages not dated
Score 0
Links working
Score 1
Links broken
Score 0
No information required
Score 1
Information required
Score 0
Privacy policy
Score 1
No privacy policy
Score 0
Total Score (out of 5) 22 eBay for Beginners Updated – June 2014
Newcastle Libraries Disclaimer The internet is a worldwide network of computers, and we have no control over the information available on it. Information available on the Internet may be inaccurate, biased or of poor quality. We can accept no responsibility for the validity or quality of information available. We cannot vouch for the security of internet sites; therefore you should take care when giving out personal details and be aware that any financial transactions are undertaken at your own risk.
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